If you’re considering migrating from an on-prem PBX to a cloud phone system, deciding to make the change is only the beginning. Next, you need to identify the best solution for your business out of numerous platforms available in the Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) marketplace.
It’s common for companies to end up in a state of decision paralysis due to an overabundance of both options and stakeholders involved in the purchasing process. That’s where our UCaaS consultants come in. As third-party objective analysts, we leverage a proven process, decades of experience, and advanced tools to disrupt dysfunctional decision-making and help your organization successfully pinpoint your ideal cloud phone system based on your needs and objectives.
One technique we utilize to accelerate solution selection is creating objective comparison matrices that illustrate how different providers stack up against each other. We’re publishing this “versus” blog series to show the value of comparing leading cloud phone system suppliers side-by-side.
This blog entry delves into RingCentral versus 8×8 in terms of UCaaS. Before you peruse the matrix, here’s some essential information to keep in mind about each provider.
Supplier profile: RingCentral
RingCentral – founded in 1999 and headquartered in Belmont, CA, with regional offices worldwide – stands out for their easy-to-implement and intuitive cloud phone system software. Accessible from any device with an internet connection, highly reliable, and secure, UCaaS from RingCentral also comes with more than 300 application integrations (including Microsoft Teams).
They maintain a presence in over 45 countries and territories and work with businesses of all sizes in education, high-tech, retail, healthcare, and other industries. Also of note is RingCentral’s cloud contact center platform, which stands out in that marketplace for innovative utilization of artificial intelligence.
Supplier profile: 8×8
Based in Campbell, CA, and founded in 1987, 8×8 offers a range of cloud-delivered communication solutions – including UCaaS and cloud contact center software. Their software is accessible via any device with an internet connection and comes with over 60 integrations, including Microsoft Teams.
PSTN services from 8×8 cover over 55 countries. The supplier also offers phone system support in more than 100 countries, enabling clients to create virtual presences in locations where they don’t have physical offices. They serve businesses across various industries, including education, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, government, retail, transportation, and financial services.
| Provider | 8×8 | RingCentral | |
| HQ | Supplier’s headquarters | Campbell, CA | Belmont, CA |
| # of Employees | Size of supplier by employee count | 1,500 | 4,000 |
| Public / Private | Privately owned or publicly traded | Public: EGHT | Public: RNG |
| Seats in Service | Number of licenses deployed | 1M | 2M |
| Minimum Seat Count/MRC | # of seats or MRC minimum required to engage | 1 seat | 1 seat |
| Sweet Spot | Ideal opportunities for the provider | 100-10,000 seats | 500-25,000 seats |
| Key Acquisitions | Companies acquired and integrated into the supplier’s offering | Callstats.io, Contactual, DXI, MarianaIQ, QSE, VoiceNET, Wavecell | Dimelo – Renamed RingCentral Engage (a social media customer communications service Glip |
| Datacenter Locations | Location of supplier’s data centers APAC: Asia-Pacific EMEA: Europe, Middle East, Africa LATAM: Latin America NA: North America | NA: Ashburn (VA), Canada, Santa Clara EMEA: Amsterdam, London APAC: Hong Kong, New Delhi, Singapore, Sydney LATAM: Rio de Janeiro | NA: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Toronto, Vienna(VA) EMEA: Amsterdam, London, Paris, Zurich APAC: Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo LATAM: Rio de Janeiro |
| Compatible Handsets | IP phones supported and/or resold by supplier | Cisco, Panasonic, Poly, Yealink (click here for device list) | Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, Poly, Yealink (click here for device list) |
| Platform | Does provider leverage a proprietary/native platform or leverage a platform via third-party partnership? | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Compliance | Regulatory compliances the supplier meets | CPNI, Cyber Essentials Plus UK, CSA Star Alliance Compliance, FISMA, GDPR, HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO27001 & 9001 UK, PCIDSS, Privacy Shield US/UK, SOX, UK Gov’t ATO, SOC 2 Type 2 | Cyber Security, FINRA, GDPR, HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, PCI, SOC 2, SOX |
| GDPR Compliance | Ability to comply with new EU standard | Yes | Yes |
| Contact Center | Proprietary | Avaya OneCloud CCaaS | RingCentral Contact Center (NICE inContact) RingCentral Engage |
| Key System Emulation | Can imitate Key Phone System functionality | No | No |
| SIP Trunking Available | Does the supplier offer SIP trunking services for onpremises PBXs? | No | No |
| CRM / ERP / Ticketing App Integration | 3rd-party SaaS solutions with which the supplier has integrated with | Salesforce, AgileCRM, Bullhorn, eAgent, HubSpot, Kustomer, Mindscope, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, OnePageCRM, Practice Partner, SalesFusion, ServiceNow, SugarCRM, Teamwork, TopProducer, Zendesk, Zoho | Salesforce, Bullhorn, HubSpot, Kustomer, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Oracle Sales Cloud, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Zoho |
| Productivity App Integration | 3rd-party mail/collaboration solutions with which the supplier has pre-built integrations | Cisco Webex/Webex Teams, Google Workspace, Microsoft/Office365, Slack, Microsoft Teams | Google Workspace, Microsoft/Office365, Slack, Microsoft Teams |
| Microsoft Teams Integrations | Supplier’s capability with Microsoft Teams | Direct Routing for PSTN access | Direct Routing for PSTN access Embedded Softphone Dialer (Teams web-version) |
| SD-WAN Offerings | SD-WAN technologies that these providers offer and manage themselves. | VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud | none |
| Circuits Offered | Do these suppliers offer Dedicated Circuits for UCaaS traffic only, Internet circuits, and/or SIP trunking?If yes, please specific which ones. | yes; SIP trunking to onprem PBXs (not standalone) | yes; dedicated voice circuits |
| Bring Your Own MPLS | If MPLS is supported, can the client bring any MPLS provider? Additional cost likely to apply. | yes | yes |
| Notable Clients | Key customer wins (references available upon request) | Allstate, Foot Locker, Lenox, Regus | Chili’s, Golden State Warriors, Hyatt |
| Top Customer Verticals | Verticals in which supplier has historically had the most success | Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail | Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, SLED |
| On-Site Implementation / Training | Does the supplier charge extra for these services? | Available for additional charge | Add-on admin implementation & training available beyond standard services provided |
| Implementation Overview | Description or link providing further detail | Implementation Overview | Implementation Overview |
| Downdetector | Collection of reports offering real-time status and outage information | Downdetector: 8×8 | Downdetector: RingCentral |
| Collaboration Solutions Available | Native and/or 3rd-party resale options offered by supplier | 8×8 Video Meetings, 8×8 Meeting Rooms | RingCentral Meetings, RingCentral Rooms, RingCentral Room Connector, RingCentral Webinar |
| Differentiators | Unique features of the provider | Local DIDs in 114 countries and Unlimited global calling for phone and contact center across 47 countries Have won awards for highest voice quality over the public Internet (Tolly Group) Owns 200+ VoIP patents Develop 10-12 new 3rd party integrations every quarter | 30+ Data Centers worldwide; 45+ carrier peering; 200+ ISP Peering 40+ Global Office Countries with expanded International Virtual Number coverage to 100+ countries; localization for 16 languages, and service to China & India (ICB) 100+ ISV Partners; largest developer community in the cloud space – 40,000+ Developers, 30+ GLIP Integrations, 250 + RESTful APIs and Cloud Integrations |
If you’d like to learn more about RingCentral versus 8×8 and your other cloud phone system options, don’t hesitate to contact our consultants by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
